1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sliding load floor system for the cargo area of a vehicle to allow ergonomic loading and unloading of heavy cargo.
2. Background Art
Today's roads are traveled by full-size pickup trucks, mid-size, and compact vehicles. Typically, they have relatively short rear cargo areas. Abbreviated length restricts the ability of the vehicle operator who wishes to ergonomically transport longer or heavier items that would otherwise be accommodated by vehicles having a longer bed. Tailgate extension devices offer an extended bed floor area. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,850; 4,531,773; and 5,755,480.
To access the rear cargo area, one must first, for example, raise a tailgate or open the rear doors. To retrieve a heavy package located forwardly in the rear cargo area, one must reach over the rear fascia (or rear bumper) area of the vehicle. This may be inconvenient for cleanliness reasons (e.g., the soiling of clothes from a dirty outside vehicle surface). Further, the act of reaching over to retrieve a heavy object may result in back and other physical injury. Similar considerations apply to the act of placing a heavy load into the cargo area from outside the vehicle. Clearly, it would be desirable to avoid the inconvenience of dirtying one's clothing while reducing the chance of back injury.